From a dental treatment perspective, there is no simple
answer to the problem posed by people with elevated BP needing urgent dental care,
such as an extraction. There are no professionally recognized criteria based on
BP values to indicate when it is safe to proceed. In JNC VI, Stage 3
hypertension was defined as SBP higher than 180 mm Hg or DBP higher than 110 mm
Hg.11 Elevation
of SBP higher than 180 mm Hg or DBP higher than 110 mm Hg is used by many
dental clinicians as a cutoff point for offering urgent treatment without medical
consultation and referral. Pending clear guidelines from research or
professional consensus, this appears to be sound advice.